It is not that big of a surprise to see Xhaka all over the main page of Arsenal’s official website given the rumors that were piling for the past couple of weeks. There are also the leaked pictures of him trying the Arsenal kit which were made available a few days back. Wenger is off to a great start apparently and hopefully he will keep it up when it comes to signing new players. Maybe the pattern shown in the past three seasons will finally be broken and the Frenchman will continue spending. Xhaka cost Arsenal £25million which is probably a 3rd of what the club is willing to invest in transfers. The Swiss international, who according to The Guardian, will be joining the Gunners after Euro 2016, has all the qualities needed to make it at the Emirates.
Xhaka is strong, good both on and off the ball and very motivated. He said: “I’m very proud to be joining Arsenal. I cannot wait to move to London, represent this special club and play in the Premier League. I will give everything to help Arsenal win trophies and make the fans happy”.
The youngster comes in with loads of confidence as well and went on to say: “I like the style of football in the Premier League. It’s aggressive and I like the way Arsenal play football. It’s not like other countries. In Germany you can play aggressively but the referee will always blow his whistle, but in England that’s not the case. That’s better for me. I’m an aggressive player and also a leader. I’m only 23 but I captained a good team in Germany. “When I was younger, even though I had a big brother, my parents would give me the house key every day. It’s in my head that I am a leader and captaining Monchengladbach was very good for me.”
The 23-year-old brings with him a Champions League experience, an aggressive playing style and the kind of leadership that Arsenal are missing right now. Sure, they are missing leadership because Wilshere was mostly out with injury and the loss of Arteta, Rosicky and Flamini.
It’s early to expect Xhaka to be the leader the Gunners needs but it’s not too early to expect him to play as a leader. It is a very exciting transfer this one and again hopefully it’s just the beginning of a very productive summer. If Wenger manages to bring at least one more player of Xhaka’s caliber, Arsenal will look great next season.